Breakthrough possible on surplus property

HAC News has spotted a major new possibility that I'm embarrassed to say I missed in the Jan. 26 Federal Register. It's a request for comment by the Dept. of Health and Human Services on a proposal to allow permanent supportive housing to be built on government surplus property that is made available to homeless service projects under the McKinney-Vento Act. The ban on long-term projects has been one of the biggest barriers to making practical use of those tantalizing land offers that are posted every Friday in HUD's section of the Federal Register. Comments are due Feb. 27, 2006, by mail or email as stated in the notice, or via www.regulations.gov. We heard something about this back in September from the Interagency Council on Homelessness. Good to see the proposal is now advancing formally.